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Some news to report on this front. As of now we are launching @mentions within comments on the mobile app (web to come soon). The comments are still public, not private, but important steps have been taken in the direction of private messaging.

We have considered a private message system, but don't currently have plans at this time. But we appreciate hearing from you about this feature!

For group ride planning, try using the Club discussion board. Create a club with your friends or your riding group and start a club discussion to organize events. Club members will receive notification of the new discussion and receive updates.

It would be nice to have a "meet spot" function. For example: my cycling partner and I want to go for a ride the next day. I sent him an inventation and suggest a meeting spot and time through Strava and maybe even I can suggest a whole ride with a point on that ride where we can meet. The next day when we start our ride we can see where the other person is and how long it will take for him to arrive at the meeting point. In that way I can see if I have to ride a little slower or faster so we can arrive at nearly the same time on the meeting spot.

But more often than not, social ride are not arranged club members and people want to ride with only select people from a club or people they have just met but are not affiliated with any club.

please - re-evaluate the club discussion board is just not practical and far too generic. Have a look most rides are arranged by commenting on existing rides, which (is only between 2 people), and is public. We need the ability to chat.

I have felt exactly the same as the OP for a long time, especially regarding private messaging. For just the reasons that have been mentioned here - wanting to contact people to arrange rides, keeping in touch with people that you are not connected to in other networks - private messaging would be brilliant.

I'd also like the ability to use people's handles in comments so that they are notified when you refer to them, I'd like this feature to work in comments in the same way it does in twitter and facebook. To avoid any doubt, what I'm thinking of is that Elle Anderson would be notified if I wrote "Elle Anderson, what are some of the reasons that Strava has decided not to provide a private messaging feature at this time?". If this tagging feature already exists please point me to the instructions on how to use it.

Regarding the OP's suggestions, the frustration for me is that Strava has such a wide user base - at least in Melbourne, Australia, the majority of riders actively use Strava - this penetration is significant and provides opportunities that are being left on the table. There are dozens of people that I ride with infrequently and only communicate with through Strava or when I bump into them on the road. I'd like to use Strava as a tool to build many of those relationships further.

Another scenario I have in mind is when you meet someone on the road and end up riding with them on the day. Because of it's penetration, Strava currently provides a way to connect afterwards without exchanging details other than first name (via the "Rode with" feature). This connection is then limited though, because you don't facilitate ongoing interaction within the context that people originally connected. Either they have to make a jump and connect via other social media, or they start a conversation by commenting on each others' rides. Neither of these options is particularly effective.

If you absolutely cannot contemplate doing private messaging, even allowing comment-replies to kudos would improve conversations. If someone gives me kudos for a ride I'd often like the option to comment-reply in a separate thread to existing comments, in a way that is visibly linked to the individual who gave the kudos.

So Elle, would you be able to let us all know the pros and cons that you've weighed up in deciding not to develop more social features at the present time?

And finally, for what it's worth, I gave up my premium subscription when you removed the cap on rides that can be uploaded each month in the free plan. At that time Strava's power-analysis features were not in the same league as Golden Cheetah or TP (I am aware that a lot of the gaps back then have been covered now) so the social features were what Strava represented for me in terms of value, and premium accounts offered nothing extra. If you added rich social features back but confined the ability to start conversations to a paid account (as linkedIn does) I would immediately be purchasing a premium subscription again. Strava's value for me since I first signed up has always been the social aspect - especially seeing who you rode with and how your performance compared to them. So from a personal perspective, I'd love to see Strava switch focus from training features and take social features to the next level.

This would be cool - the ability to set future rides and schedules that allow better co-ordination for local group rides. Reminders could be sent via push notifications. All data is already collected by Strava including routes, people you follow etc. Most riders ride regular routes and want to know what their friends are doing tomorrow or the next day. Seeing who and how many people are going to a ride in a simple tally will create a great pre-ride feature and Strava being a one stop shop for cyclists/runners. Great way to add value to your current offerring

Yeah, no way of making private messages makes it incredibly difficult to make contacts. Like just recently another rider found me, but we had to use another website to transfer contact info privately. Does Strava really want us going to OTHER websites?

How about even having the option of - if you follow the individual, and they follow you, you can see their email? I just had to post my email on a message to a guy in order to be able to contact him. Kind of sucks putting it out there for the "world"..

Or - even an "allow" function for certain followers to access your info.

Obviously - one of the big benefits of Strava is the community based atmosphere (as Jaeger stated above). Why wouldn't you promote this, or allow it to get a little deeper in depth by allowing a way (approved by both parties even) to contact another individual more privately. Heck - I can block an athlete if they're a bother, but I can't contact them other than publicly? If it's a cost thing, make it available only to premium members - to promote more people to become premium members. I don't believe I access anything with my premium membership that I couldn't access without it, but I think it's a great website, and I want to do what I can to keep it up and running and promote growth.

Ditto to everything mentioned above. I love promoting Strava BUT... not having the ability to private message people is a HUGE drawback! Indeed, it is a HUMONGOUS drawback! And I never use that word lightly! In fact, I was considering nailing a piece of wood to my head as a protest, until Strava got its act together and introduced a PM facility! Eventually I realised this would have constituted somewhat of an overreaction of sorts on my part, so I opted to dispense with the piece of wood. But I'm still holding the hammer & nail! Do you want that on your conscience Strava management??!! But seriously, pleeeeeeaaassseeee give us the chance to PM!!

Another vote strongly in favor of message system. Here's a great example why: yesterday a guy I know only through riding crashed in a race he was in. I heard about him and want to reach out with well wishes. I don't have his email or phone number. We talk on rides and follow on strava. This should be an easy no brainer to put in place

Another vote here for private messages....also perhaps a way to expose your email address to others with whom you are connected? Maybe even different levels of connections? One level for acquaintances with whom you ride or follow, and another level for friends with whom you'd like to communicate privately, and thus expose your email and/or phone number to them? I've had plenty of times when I wanted or needed to exchange on something with another but did not want to do it via public comments. Seems like a "no-brainer" to me...

It is interesting to think of why it is that Strava doesn't want private messages when it is so obvious to do so. Perhaps it has something to do with the existence of PM moving Strava from the Quantitative Self to the Social Networking industry segment. Better to be the tops in Quantitative Self rather than niche also ran in Social Networking. Anybody have a better theory?

Cycling is a gregarious activity, and cyclists are generally looking to form groups. Strava with PM could greatly help facilitate this aspect to enjoyment of the sport. PM'ing for cyclists would not be a replacement for actual interaction, but a means for its achievement. A PM'ing Strava community would attract more users, subscribers, and ward against defections. But...no. No explanation given, just....no.

One of the most critical reasons for a PM system is for contacting riders who request to follow you, who you may not know. Currently there's no way to determine the reason for the follower request. I still have two outstanding because I don't know the people and have no may to message them.

Definitely +1 for a private messaging system. I semi-randomly followed a few runners who I didn't know who participated in a recent local running event, choosing runners who were roughly of the same ability level (give or take). Some followed me back and it's been great to interact with these strangers, seeing their runs, giving them kudos and receiving them, and exchanging comments. It's a great way of getting social. A private messaging system would be an extra benefit to this. I'm currently organising a relay team for a 100km trail running event and being able to send a direct message to some of the people I follow would be great. Then I could pitch to them about joining my team for the event and include my contact details without having them be public.

Of course, with direct messages, there would be a risk of abuse. You could have extra settings for direct messages where a person could choose to only allow people who they follow to contact them. Or people could choose not to enable direct messages.

I'm new to an area, have noticed (an)other rider(s) who is very consistent on times in my area, rides at about the same frequency, etc... Would be nice to be able to ping them with a "Hi - interested in riding this week?"

Please, it is so incoveinent to have to post on a nonrelated activity to ask a question or let someone know about a ride. Private messaging would also let someone contact riders with questions that they don't necessarily follow.